The Grooms Wore Custom Armani Tuxes at This Destination Wedding on Necker Island
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Wesley Vultaggio and Michael McCarty first struck up conversation at a Brooklyn apartment party in 2019, right before the pandemic. “We were both invited by friends of friends,” Wesley remembers. “If anyone knows me, I rarely go to a party like that. Michael lived in L.A. at that point and was only in town for work, so it was pure kismet that we crossed paths.”
The couple’s connection, however, was both immediate and electric. “After the party, we met up at the Boom Boom Room, and we were glued to each other all night on the dance floor. He asked me what I did, and I said ‘I make drinks,’ ” Wesley, the chief creative officer and co-owner of Arizona Beverages, remembers. “Michael [who works in biotech] came to our first date two days later thinking I was a bartender. The rest is history.”
For Michael, the attraction at the party was equally instantaneous. “As soon as Wes walked in, I said to my friend ‘holy actual cannoli,’ ” Michael jokes. “In retrospect, the clichés all hit. I non-creepily stalked him as he went to make himself a drink, introduced myself, and showed him that to make a vodka soda, you simply mix vodka with soda—and voilà!”
With that initial spark in mind, Michael asked his friend to buddy up with Wesley so he could attempt to play it coy and keep it cool. “Wes and I danced the night away, and when I was getting ready to leave, I asked him if he wanted to get my number,” Michael remembers. “He said ‘nope!’ so I defeatedly headed towards the elevators to get out of there. I didn’t make it three steps before I was pulled back by Wesley saying he was just kidding and he would love to get my number. We exchanged, and that night at 2:22 a.m., I texted him: Hey bartender. ”
Two days later, they went on their first date at Lure in Soho. “It was the best—and last—first date I had ever had,” Michael says. “The chemistry, conversation, and connection were all off the charts. I said this in my vows, but I knew on that date that Wes would be my husband.”
Wesley proposed to Michael in Capri in July 2021. He arrived a few days earlier than Michael to scope out all of the most romantic places with his friends before popping the big question. The problem? All of the “good” options involved a boat, which Michael’s motion sickness made difficult. “Every time I was ready to ask, he looked a bit green,” Wesley remembers. “I opted to play it safe and did it on the balcony of our room at J.K. Place, overlooking the Mediterranean and the most beautiful summer sunset. We celebrated that night under the lemon trees of Da Paolino, both euphoric and high on life and love.”
Funnily enough, Michael had told all of his family and friends that there was a 50 percent chance he might get engaged on the trip to Italy. “I wouldn’t say I knew for sure, but I was not completely blindsided,” he jokes. “One of the strongest aspects of our relationship has always been communication, so we had discussed getting married and starting a family.” When Wesley pulled out the ring box on the deck of their room overlooking the Mediterranean, however, it was shaped exactly like a deck of cards, leading Michael to think he was suggesting a game of gin rummy. “Then Wes said ‘No, I’m asking you to marry me!’ and I said ‘Yes! A million times yes,’” Michael laughs. “Our friends Brian Atwood and Dr. Jake Deutsch were waiting downstairs with the Champagne and were both already crying tears of happiness.”
The couple wanted an intimate destination wedding near the beach, and following plenty of research, they landed on Sir Richard Branson’s private islands Necker and Moskito in the British Virgin Islands. The year prior, Wesley had booked a 40th birthday trip to Moskito Island, but because of COVID, had to cancel—so the location was already on the couple’s radar. “We did a deep dive on islands around the world, from Brando Island in Tahiti to Capri in the Amalfi Coast, but were always pulled towards Necker,” Michael says. “We had a couple of conversations with them and the best dates they could offer us were November 2023, which was too far off for us. Three days later, they called and said they had a cancellation in May, and did we want it? Obviously the answer was a resounding ‘Yes!’”
Soon after settling on Necker and Moskito for the location, they were introduced to event planner Chris Hessney of Hessney Co. through a friend, and were immediately drawn to his laid back, unpretentious vibe. “We knew we didn’t want the typical ‘wedding planner’ as our vision was to have the most un-produced yet tastefully decadent weekend with our closest friends and family—like the ultimate tropical vacation that also happens to be a wedding,” Wesley says. “It wasn’t an easy task, as we learned early on pulling off a chic, less-is-more aesthetic on a remote private island takes way more production than one would think. We ended up sending three containers’ worth of decor to the BVIs in order to pull off four days of events, including a Slim Aarons–inspired beach party, a jazz-club-meets-the-tropics night, and of course, our incredible ceremony and after-party. In the end, Chris and his team—along with the incredible Necker and Moskito staff—did the impossible. We were blown away.”
